Skip to content
Noroxi
CVE-2013-4169· NVD / CVE Program· CNA redhat

GNOME Display Manager (gdm) before 2.21.1 allows local users to change permissions of arbitrary directories via a symlink attack on /tmp/.X1

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 27/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.37% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Fixed version: gdm (Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::server) 1:2.16.0-59.el5_9.1; gdm-debuginfo (Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::server) 1:2.16.0-59.el5_9.1; gdm-docs (Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::server) 1:2.16.0-59.el5_9.1.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to gdm (Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::server) 1:2.16.0-59.el5_9.1; gdm-debuginfo (Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::server) 1:2.16.0-59.el5_9.1; gdm-docs (Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::server) 1:2.16.0-59.el5_9.1 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

GNOME Display Manager (gdm) before 2.21.1 allows local users to change permissions of arbitrary directories via a symlink attack on /tmp/.X11-unix/.

MediumCVSS 6.9 · v2.0—No exploit Fix available
Published
Sep 10, 2013
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
0.3% · 29th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

27

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
27 / 40 · 6.9 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.3%

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2013-4169

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

One daily email digest (06:00 UTC); connect a webhook for KEV listings and weaponized exploits instantly.

Your free account also gets you

Running WordPress? Scan your site free with WP Lens

  • Stack alerts: add the products and versions you run, get the new CVEs that affect them
  • Uptime monitoring: 1 site, instant email when it goes down
  • Add your domain: subdomains and takeover risk scanned every week (1 domain)
  • 10 scans an hour on the security tools (3 a day without an account), an API key and MCP
All free tools

Sign up with email · Have an account? Sign in

Free account, no card. Unfollow any time.

Don't want an account? Get "Exploited this week" by email every MondayDon't want an account? RSS feed for gnome records

Running WordPress? Scan your site free with WP Lens

Is your version affected? Check it

Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

We use this product, ask for help

Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
gnomegnome display manager

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • gnome gnome display managerup to 2.21 inclusive
  • gnome gnome display manager0.7
  • gnome gnome display manager1.0
  • gnome gnome display manager2.0
  • gnome gnome display manager2.13
  • gnome gnome display manager2.14
  • gnome gnome display manager2.14.1
  • gnome gnome display manager2.14.10
  • gnome gnome display manager2.14.11
  • gnome gnome display manager2.14.12
  • gnome gnome display manager2.14.2
  • gnome gnome display manager2.14.3
  • gnome gnome display manager2.14.4
  • gnome gnome display manager2.14.5
  • gnome gnome display manager2.14.6
  • gnome gnome display manager2.14.7
  • gnome gnome display manager2.14.8
  • gnome gnome display manager2.14.9
  • gnome gnome display manager2.15
  • gnome gnome display manager2.16

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::servergdmbefore 1:2.16.0-59.el5_9.11:2.16.0-59.el5_9.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::servergdm-debuginfobefore 1:2.16.0-59.el5_9.11:2.16.0-59.el5_9.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::servergdm-docsbefore 1:2.16.0-59.el5_9.11:2.16.0-59.el5_9.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::serverinitscriptsbefore 0:8.45.42-2.el5_9.10:8.45.42-2.el5_9.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::serverinitscripts-debuginfobefore 0:8.45.42-2.el5_9.10:8.45.42-2.el5_9.1

Same product

gnome: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2018-14424The daemon in GDM through 3.29.1 does not properly unexport display objects from its D-Bus interface when they are destroyed, which allows a
    31Monitor
  • CVE-2015-7496GNOME Display Manager (gdm) before 3.18.2 allows physically proximate attackers to bypass the lock screen by holding the Escape key.
    28Monitor
  • CVE-2020-16125gdm3 would start gnome-initial-setup if it cannot contact accountservice
    27Monitor
  • CVE-2020-27837A flaw was found in GDM in versions prior to 3.38.2.1.
    25Monitor
  • CVE-2019-3825A vulnerability was discovered in gdm before 3.31.4.
    25Monitor
  • CVE-2017-12164A flaw was discovered in gdm 3.24.1 where gdm greeter was no longer setting the ran_once boolean during autologin.
    25Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
red hat:gdm1:2.16.0-59.el5_9.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::serverPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:gdm-debuginfo1:2.16.0-59.el5_9.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::serverPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:gdm-docs1:2.16.0-59.el5_9.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::serverPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:initscripts0:8.45.42-2.el5_9.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::serverPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:initscripts-debuginfo0:8.45.42-2.el5_9.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::serverPackage registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

    If successful

    Confidentiality
    C · data can be read
    Integrity
    C · data or configuration can be modified
    Availability
    C · the service can be disrupted
    Attack complexity
    M
    Confidentiality impact
    C
    Integrity impact
    C
    Availability impact
    C

    Weakness class (CWE)

    CWE-59 · Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')

    CVSS vector

    AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

    nvd-primary

    Attack context

    MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

    Change log

    1. Fix✗ → ✓

    For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

    References

    Show all references (2 more)

    Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

    All records